An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

by Hank Green

Paperback, 352 pages

Published July 30, 2019 by Trapeze.

ISBN:: 978-1-4732-2420-9

In Hank Green's sweeping, cinematic debut novel, a young woman becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagine.

THE CARLS JUST APPEARED.

Roaming through New York City at three A.M., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new …

THE CARLS JUST APPEARED.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.

This description comes from the publisher.

5 editions

Leyssandra reviewed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel by Hank Green

None

4 stars

A whirlwind tour of viral fame, echo chambers, the loss of oneself on social media, and so much more in a plot that I can just describe the plot as Ready Player One meets Don't Look Up. I think anyone who has been sucked into the abyss of social media before will be able to relate to this, and from a person perhaps uniquely qualified to write about it from the creator side. Hank shows the worst the internet brings out in us but also the wonderful things it can enable when we use it to work together.

Shiyana reviewed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel by Hank Green

Review of 'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The writing didn't blow me away by it's beauty or complexity, but it was a damn good story. I liked the mystery, that doesn't really get resolved, and think that plot moves along at a good pace. I think for people who didn't know a second book was coming this could have been a frustrating book. However, if you are looking for something feel good AND captivating with bits of sci-fi and mystery, this is a good pick. For someone who is cultivating more softness, more kindness, more compassion, this will serve you well.

Nastja reviewed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel by Hank Green

Review of 'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A book filled with hope. Makes you think that world is not such a bad place after all.

_astronoMay reviewed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Review of 'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Ehh this was between a 2 and a 3 for me. The idea of these "Carls" arriving around the world and asking humanity to work together is compelling, but ultimately I did not like the way in which the story was told, it felt like it was trying too hard to be currently relevant and I spent way too much time cringing. Not to mention the constant focusing on the fact that April finds herself attractive? But in the end I rounded it up to a 3 because I'll probably end up reading the next one just to see what happens, so at least it was interesting enough for me to want to do that.

xini reviewed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel by Hank Green

Review of 'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

voy a seguir considerándolo uno de mis libros favoritos. lo tengo llenito de notas y postits ya en esta segunda relectura. sigue encantándome la manera en la que actúan los personajes... parecen de carne y hueso. son graciosos (muy sarcásticos) y fallan una y otra vez. y los odias un poco pero por otra parte entiendes por qué hacen lo que hacen. y la historia... es que no puedo dejar de leer, incluso cuando ya sé cómo acaba (que, por cierto, da igual que lo haya leído tres veces, un par de cosas se me habían olvidado y me han sorprendido.... wtf).